Giles watches, waits to play again

DAN HAYES - Staff Writer

SAN DIEGO -- Brian Giles is not a big fan of sitting in the
dugout.

Unfortunately for the Padres' right fielder, who is out with abone bruise in his right knee, it looks like he'll be doing more ofit as the team heads to Tampa Bay this week for a three-game seriesagainst the Devil Rays.

Injured in April, Giles played hurt until he was placed on the
disabled list May 20. Though he has been resting for three weeks,
he isn't sure when he'll play again.

"The most frustrating thing with it is we really don't have a
timetable right now," Giles said. "An ankle and a knee have put me
on the DL before. It's all similar stuff … it's all feeling and
what you're able to tolerate. Hopefully, it's another few days -- a
week, maybe.

"Right now it's not good enough to go, and you're risking
re-injuring. You want to be strong to finish the season healthy
where you can help your team out."

In the previous three seasons, Giles missed 11 games
combined.

"I know this," Padres manager Bud Black said, "if Brian isanywhere close to playing, he'll play. This is extremelyfrustrating for him. He loves to play, so I know this is killinghim."

Meredith fights back

Two days after allowing a game-winning home run, reliever ClaMeredith bailed the Padres out of a tight spot Sunday, when hestruck out Jose Lopez with two on and two out in the seventh inningof a 3-3 game.

It was the right-hander's first appearance since he sat down fora one-on-one with Black after yielding the opposite-field blast toRaul Ibanez.

"If you have any type of competitiveness within you … some
tenacity in you, you want to get back after it," Meredith said. "It
was a pretty big point in the ballgame. That's usually what I
thrive on. … Any time someone's coaching you, you have to take it
as coaching and not criticism. The way (Black) went about it was
good."

Et cetera

RHP Clay Hensley allowed seven runs (six earned) in 6 2/3innings for Triple-A Portland in Salt Lake City. … OF HiramBocachica missed both weekend games with strep throat. … ManagerBud Black said RHP Justin Germano will "be fine" after he wasstruck on the knee by a foul ball while in the on-deck circle onFriday. … The Padres were swept for the first time since Aug.14-17, when San Francisco beat them in four straight. … Seattle wonfour of six games against the Padres this season to even theall-time series 28-28.